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(1 & 2): 92-105 VERY Little Is Known About the Apodous Holo

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(1 & 2): 92-105 VERY Little Is Known About the Apodous Holo /. mar. biol. Ass. India, 1982, 24 (1 & 2): 92-105 STUDIES ON INDIAN ECHINODERMS - II. ON PROTANKYRA TUTICORENENSIS SP. NOV. AND OTHER APODOUS HOLOTHURIANS FROM THE INDIAN SEAS* D. B. JAMES** Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Cochin 682031 ABSTRACT Ten species of apodous holothurians belonging to nine genera are described in detail with keys to various taxa. Protankyra tuticorenensis a new species collected from Tuticorin (Gulf of Mannar) is described here. Anaptagracilis Semper and the genus Labidoplax are recorded here for the first time from the Bay of Bengal. Notes on the habits of various species are given for the first time. Remarks on the zoogeography are also given at the end of the paper. INTRODUCTION with the help of mask and snorkel are given for the first time. Remarks on the zoogeography VERY little is known about the apodous holo­ are also given at the end of the paper. thurians of the Indian Seas. The very few records available are scattered without giving I am grateful to Dr. S. Jones, former Director any information on the species or their habits. of C. M. F. R. I. for suggesting the problem In this connection mention may be made of the and supervising the work. I thank Dr. papers of Bell (1887, 1889, 1902), Koehler and P. S. B. R. James, Director, C. M. F. R. Institute, Vaney (1908), Gravely (1927), Nair (1946), Cochin for the kind interest and encouragement. Sane and Chhapgar (1962), Nayar and I also thank Miss. A. M. Clark, British Museum Mahadevan (1965), James (1969, 1983, 1985), (Natural History), London, Dr. F. W. E. Rowe, Rao (1973), Satyamurti (1976), Mary Bai (1980), Australian Museum, Sydney and late Dr. Soota et al. (1983) and Mukhopadhyay and Elisabeth Deichmann, Museum of Comparative Samanta (1983) from the Indian Seas. Most Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, for of the above authors merely listed the species their valuable comments on some of the species without giving any details. presented here. Extensive collection of echinoderms from the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay (1963-1970) ORDER: APODIDA and also from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1975-1978) were made. Good colle­ Members belonging to this order are free ctions were also examined from the various from tubefeet. They are modified vermiform Islands of Lakshadweep and also from several holothurians with rough or warty surfaces. places along the east and west coasts of India. Tentacles are 20 or more simple, digitate or Notes on the habits of many species observed pinnate. Tentacular ampullae are wanting. Respiratory trees are absent and the haemal system is simple. Gonad consists of one pair * Formed a part of the Ph. D. Thesis, Andhra Univer­ sity, Waltair. of more or less branching tubules that are often hermaphroditic. Spicules consist of anchors **Present address: 29, Commander-in-Chief Road, Madras 600105. and wheels. STUDIES ON INDIAN ECHINODERMS 93 KEY TO THE FAMILIES OF THE ORDER Material: Port Blair (South Andamans), several specimens; Rangat Bay (Middle Spicules: wheels with not more than six Andamans), several specimens; Campbell Bay spokes and sigmoid bodies; anchors and (Great Nicobar), several specimens, all from anchor plates absent; tentacles peltodigitate the intertidal region. CHIRIDOTIDAE Spicules: anchors and anchor plates, rods Description: The specimens examined varied and granules; tentacles pinnate from 40 to 150 mm. in length. The body is vermiform. The anterior end is flat and or digitate SYNAPTIDAE surrounded by a crown of 18 tentacles. The skin is very thin and transparent. Bunches of FAMILY: CHIRIDOTIDAE wheels form 'papillae' on the surface of the Two genera are known under this Family body wall. The length of the tentacles varies from the Indian Seas. Of this one genus is from 3 to 12 mm. The number of pairs of collected and described in the present paper. digits varies from 6 to 8. The calcareous ring consists of 18 pieces. All the radials are per­ KEY TO THE GENERA OF THE FAMILY forated for the passage of nerves. The radials and interradials are rectangular in shape with Tentacles 12; ciliated funnels single or at concave lower margins and small projections most in small clusters Chiridota on the upper margins. The radials are slightly Eschscholtz, 1829 larger than the interradials (Fig. 1 b). Tentacles 18; ciliated funnels in the form of In a specimen dissected there are seven polian large stalked clusters vesicles of different sizes and a single stone canal. Polycheira H. L. Clark, 1907 The madreporite is long and the calcification on it is folded. The alimentary canal has a large Genus Polycheira H. L. Clark, 1907 loop with large clusters of ciliated funnels on Only one species is known under this genus the mesenteries. The clusters are of varying from the Indian Seas. shapes. The gonad is in two bunches. Spicules (Fig. 1 a) consist of wheels and rods. Polycheira rufescens (Brandt) (Fig. 1 a, b) In a fully expanded specimen the wheels can be Chirodota rufescens Brandt, 1835, p. 59: Bonin Island. seen as regularly arranged in groups in a single Bell, 1886, p. 26: Mergui Archipelago. Theel, 1886, p. 36. Bell, 1887a, p.140: Andaman Island; 1887b, layer with small ones at the centre. Each wheel p. 653: Sri Lanka. Sluiter, 1901, p. 133: East Indies. has six spokes. The diameter of the wheels Koehler and Vaney, 1908, p. 48: Akyab. varies from 0.038 to 0.115 mm. Rods are Chirodota dubia Walter, 1885, p. 378: Sri Lanka. present in the tentacles and the body wall. The rods are either slightly curved or appear Polycheira rufescens H. L. Clark, 1907, p. 120; 1926, p. 191: Queensland. Clark, 1946, 458: Australia. like C-shaped bodies with enlarged ends. The Heding, 1928, p. 306: Gulf of Siam, Saparoea enlarged ends of the rods are either smooth or Bay, Sunda Strait. James, 1969, p. 62: Port Blair, Rangat (Andamans); 1983, p. 93: Port Blair knobbed which appear as distinct transverse (Andamans); 1985, p. 587: Sri Lanka, Andamans and Nicobar Islands. Yulin, 1975, p. 221: Xisha folds. In the longitudinal muscles there are Islands. Solan, A. M. Clark & Tylor, 1979, p. 125: small oval calcareous bodies. The length of Aldabra. Mary Bai, 1980, p. 4. A. M. Clark, 1980, p. 490: Hong Kong. Sootae/a/., 1983 a, the curved rods varies from 0.024 to 0.116 mm. p. 518: Andaman and Nicobar. and the breadth is c. 0.014 mm. 94 D. B. JAMES Fig. 1 a. Spicules of Polycheira rufescens, b. Radial and interradial plates of Polycheira rufescens, c. Spicules of Anapta gracilis, d. Radial and interradial plates of Anapta gracilis, e. Spicules from tentacle and tentacle digits of Protankyra tuticorenensis, f. Spicules from posterior portion of Protankyra tuticorenensis, g. Anchors and anchor plates of Protankyra tuticorenensis, h. Spicules of Ophicdenna grisea, i. Spicules of Euapta godeffroyi, j. Spicules of Patinapta ooplax, k. Spicules of Labidoplax sp., 1. Part of calcareous ring of Synapta maculata, m. Spicules of Synapta maculata, n. Anchor and anchor plate of Synaptula recta and o. Anchor and anchor plate of Synaptula striata. STUDIES ON INDIAN ECHINODERMS 95 In the living condition uniformly flesh colou­ KEY TO THE GENERA OF THE FAMILY red which appear as dark purple when con­ tracted. I. Spicules never in the form of anchors or perforated plates; tentacles 12, pinnate with 5-13 digits Anapta Semper, 1868 Notes on habits: It is one of the common inhabitants of muddy flats though a few were I'. Spicules in the form of anchors and anchor also collected from sandy beaches. It is found plates 2 to be distributed in the supralittoral zone. It is a chiefly burrowing species living in the 2. Arms of anchors usually serrate, sometimes burrows located under stones. It is somewhat smooth, vertex without knobs gregarious in habit. Often under the same Protankyra Ostergren, 1898 stone three or four individuals may be found. 21. Arms of anchors smooth, vertex usually On disturbing the stones over the burrows the with minute knob-like projections 3 holothurians slowly withdraw by contracting 3. Stock of anchor branched irregularly 4 their bodies and at the same time letting out water from their bodies which flows at the 3'. Stock of anchor not branched 5 entrance without force. Attempts to dislodge the specimens from the burrows only resulted 4. Calcareous ring with conspicuous anterior in mutilation. Full specimens could be taken projections; anchor plates abruptly cont­ out from the burrows by digging vo at least racted posteriorly eight inches deep. Full specimens kept in the Ophiodesma Fisher, 1907 sea water in the laboratory resulted in breaking 41. Calcareous ring without noticeable anterior into three or four bits by constricting the body projections; anterior plates not abruptly probably due to conditions entirely different contracted at posterior end but with large from those in its natural surroundings. It is smooth hole on either side interesting to note that some of the specimens Euapta Ostergren, 1898 were found to live under stones without burrow­ ing at Campbell Bay (Great Nicobar). 5. Anchor plates oval, body delicate and translucent Patinapta Heding, 1928 Distribution: It is distributed in Bay of Bengal, 51. Anchor plates not oval 6 East Indies, North Australia, Philippines, Japan, China and South Pacific Islands. The 6. Anchor plates abruptly narrowed into a specimens recorded as Polycheira rufescens sort of handle from Sri Lanka in A. M. Clark and Rowe (1971) Labidoplax Ostergren, 1898 actually refer to Chiridota stuhlmanni (A.M. 61. Anchor plates either subrectangular or Clark, Per. comm.) rounded anteriorly and narrow posteriorly with a few holes 7 FAMILY : SVNAPTIDAE 7. Size very large, anchor plates sub-rect­ Seven genera are recorded under this Family angular with numerous holes from the Indian Seas.
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